Apparatus for handling, sorting, and delivering parcels and the like.



A. W. GAT TIE & A. G. SEAMAN.

APPARATUS FOR HANDLING, SORTING, AND DELIVERING PARCELS AND THE LIKE. APPLICATION FILED JUNE26,1909.

1,022,935, I Patented Apr. 9, 1912.

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A. W. GATTIE & A. G. SEAMAN.

APPARATUS FOR HANDLING, SORTING, AND DELIVERING PARCELS AND THE LIKE.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 26, 1909.

Patented Apr. 9, 1912.

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APPARATUS FOR HANDLING, SORTING, AND DELIVERING PARCELS AND THE LIKE.

A APPLICATION FILED JUNE26,1909. 1,,@%2 935 Patented Apr. 9, 1912.

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APPLICATION FILED JUNE 26, 1909.

L@@Q,935I Patented Apr. 9, 1912.

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APPARATUS FOR HANDLING, SORTING, AND DELIVERING PARCELS AND THE LIKE.

APPLICATION FILED JUNEZG, 1909.

1,022,935m Patented Apr.9, 1912.

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APPARATUS FOR HANDLING, SORTING, AND DELIVERING PARCELS AND THE LIKE.

APPLICATION FLLED JUNEZB, 1909.

1,,@Q2,@35 Patented Apr.9,1912.

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A. W. GATTIE & A. G. SEAMAN.

APPARATUS FOR. HANDLING, SORTING, AND DELIVERING PARCELS AND THE LIKE.

7 APPLICATION FILED JUNE 26, 1909.

1,@2Q,935 I Patented A1019, I912.

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A. W. GA'ITIE & A. G. SEAMAN.

APPARATUS FOR HANDLING, SORTING, AND DELIVERING PARCELS AND THE LIKE.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 26,1909.

1 022 935, Patented Apr. 9, 1912.

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APPLICATION FILED JUNE 26, 1909.

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A. W. GATTIE & A. G. SEAMAN.

APPARATUS FOR HANDLING, SORTING, AND DELIVER'NNG PARCELS AND THE LIKE.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 26, 1909.

1 gg Patented Apr. 9, 1912.

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A. W. GATTIE & A. G, SEAMAN.

APPARATUS FOR HANDLING, SORTING, AND DELIVERING PARCELS AND THE LIKE.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 26, 1909.

Lfigg gas Patented Apr. 9, 1912.

12 SHEETS-SHEET 11.

1T fi a A. W. GATTIE & A. G. SEAMAN.

APPARATUS FOR HANDLING, SORTING, AND DELIVERING PARCELS AND THE LIKE.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 26, 1909.

1,022,935. I Patented Apr. 9, 1912.

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UNITED @TATiEd PATENT @FFICE ALFRED WARWICK GATTIE, OF LONDON, AND ARTHUR GEORGE SEAMAN, OF ALTBINCHAM, ENGLAND.

APPARATUS FOR HANDLING, SORTING, AND DELIVERING PARCELS AND THE LIKE.

Application filed June 26, 1909.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, ALFRED WARWICK Givrrni and ARTHUR GEORGE SEAMAN, both subjects of His Majesty the King of Great Britain and Ireland, and residents of London, England, and Altrincham, Cheshire, England. respectively, have invented a certain new and useful Improved Apparatus for Handling, Sorting, and Delivering Parcels and the Like. of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to that class of apparatus for carrying and sorting parcels in which conveyors such as endless moving belts or platforms and transferring mechanism are employed; and the object of the present invention is to provide. means by which parcels or packages brought to, say, a central sorting station or clearing house may be readily delivered to a station or compartment, sorted and automatically delivered to other stations or compartments arranged to receive parcels or packages addressed to any given destination or route, with the object of automatically collecting all such parcels or packages for each destination or route in bulk, and when so collected delivering them to the van or carrier intended for that destination.

The desired end is secured as follows Assume that a van or lorry enters the clearinghouse or central sorting station and has, for example, a dozen parcels or packages for delivery at a dozen different destinations. and that such packages or parcels are carried on the van in a removable container. in such a case the removable container is lifted by means of suitably arranged cranes from the lorry and deposited on a fixed station or compartment on the sorting floor of the clearing house. Here it is unpacked and the parcels or packages severally placed on a corresponding number, in this case 12, of different trays, so arranged on casters or wheels that they may be impelled in any direction over a flat surface. Assuming that the first tray contains a parcel or package addressed to a destination at, say, Croydon or on the Croydon route, this tray is placed at the despatch point of the compartment or station. The sorter is provided with a despatch'apparatus, to be hereinafter described, which he sets to the number corresponding to the station or compartment from which, according to his in- Specifioation of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 9, 1912.

Serial No. 504,570.

structions, parcels or packages for the Croydon route will be despatched. The sorting floor of the clearing house is divided into a number of separate compartments which are each served by one of a series of moving platforms: that is to say, a number. of stations are located so that they are served by one divisional platform; other stations by other divisional platforms; the divisional platforms being served as a whole by a main moving platform; so that by a divisional, the main and a second divisional platform a parcel or package may be moved from any one station or compartment in the clearing house to any other station or com partment. The sorter having set his despatch apparatus with the correct destination number, the system is then automatic in action. The divisional and main platforms are divided into a number of sections, each alternate section of which is called a trucker or working section and contains a transfer mechanism, with which the despatching and receiving points are also provided. The platform sections between each trucker are called dummy sections andserve to separate the trucker sections and to give space for maneuvering the trays. At a certain instant a trucker will be approaching the despatch point of the station containing the tray for the Croydon route. At this instant when the trucker is a certain definite distance away from the despatching point the automatic mechanism of the despatching point to be described hereafter, is set in motion, with the result that the tray commences to move in a direction which will bring it in a predetermined time toward the approaching trucker in such a way that at the completion of its motion it will have attained an exact position on this trucker and be traveling forward at the velocity at which the trucker itself is moving. The station from which the packages for the Croydon route are despatched may or may not lie on the samedivisional platform as that on which the tray now is. If it does it will travel on this platform to the receiving point. When the station for the Croydon route is reached at a pre-determined instant the tray will again be moved by similar automatic transfer mechanism from the trucker to the receiving point] in the Croydon station. If the Croydon station does not lie on the same divisional plat form then the tray will travel on' the platform until it arrives at a point at which this platform transfers trays to the main platform. Here the transfer mechanism 5 will-again come into operation and the tray be automatically transferred from the divisional trucker to the main platform trucker. reaches the transfer point at' which the main platform trucker can transfer the tray to a trucker on the divisional platform on which the station for the Croydon route is situated. It will there be transferred to this divisional platform trucker, and on reaching the receiving point for the Greydon station will be transferred from the trucker to this point as above described. When received at the station for the Oroy don route the package will be removed from the tray and placed by the loader into the container which is being sent out on this route. When ready for despatch this container will be lifted by a suitable crane or by other means from the sorting floor and deposited on the van or lorry (or railway truck) from which the parcels for the Croydon route will be delivered at their various destinations. In the same way the other eleven parcels will eachv be sorted to the various stations corresponding to the routes on which their destinations lie, carried by,

the clearing house platform truckers to these stations, loaded in containers andsent out to their destinations.

In a suitable arrangement for carrying out our invention we construct the bottom of the tray upon which the parcels are carried, of steel or iron, and we transfer this tray from a despatching station to a trucker section, and from a trucker section to a receiving station or to a trucker on another platform, by meansv of rollers, provided at each station and carried on each trucker. These rollers, at the proper'instant are magnetized by an electric current and by means of suitable mechanism are caused to rotate at a speed which is increased gradually to a maximum value and is then decreased until the said rollers are stationary, the arrangecoming intocontact with any of these energized rollers is gripped and pushed in the required direction to effect a transfer. Each despatching station and each receiving sta tion is provided with onepair of these rollers, the despatching rollers being adapted to rotate in the opposite direction to the receiving rollers. The truckers are provided with two pairs of rollers, adapted to be rotated in either direction for'the purpose hereinafter fully described. The operations of these rollers are electrically controlled by means of suitable controllers placed at each despatching station and carried on each trucker, and by means of circuits which are On this it will travel until it ment being such that a tray placed over 01" closed 'by the passage of the truckers themselves.

To enable the invention to be fully understood, we will now describe it by reference to the accompanying drawings which illustrate a complete sorting and transporting system constructed according to our invention.

Figure 1 is a plan view of a portion of a clearing house, showing the arrangement of the moving platforms and stations. Fig. 2 is a sectional elevation of a trucker, showing the transfer mechanism in position and Fig, 3 is a plan view of the same with the top plate removed, showing the arrangements for guiding the trucker on a curve, and Fig. 4 is a sectional end view thereof. Fig. 4 is a sectional elevation of a despatch or receiving point showing the transfer gear.

Fig. 5 is a-plan view of a detail of the trans- 5 fer gear, Fig. 5 is an elevation partly in section of a trucker making contact with a bay showing the arrangement of contacts several portions of the trucker mechanism being omitted. Fig. 6 is a side elevation of one of the double throw switches employed upon the truckers and stations. Fig. 6 is a sectional elevation on the line 6-6.. Fig. 7 of the tray upon which the parcels are transported and Fig. 7 is a plan view thereof. Fig. 8 is a sectional diagrammatic view of a controller the outer casing and operating magnets being removed. Fig. 9 is a section on line t" Fig. 8, an operating magnet being added and the contacts omitted. Fig. 9 is a front view of he divided hand wheel t Fig. 8. Fig. 9 is a rear View of one of the selector disksv t Fig. 8. Fig. 10 is a diagrammatic plan view of a despatch' bay showing .a divisional trucker making contact therewith to receive a tray. Fig. 10 is a diagrammatic View showing a portion of a trucker making contact with a bay register point. Fig. 11 is a similar diagrammatic view to Fig. 10, showing the truckenmaking contact with areceiving bay in order to discharge a tray and Fig. 12 is a similar View showing the divisional platform trucker making contact with a main platform trucker to transfer a tray. Fig. 12 is a view of a double throw switch-employed upon the main platform truckers. Fig. 13 is a diagrammatic plan view of a clearing house showing a method of numbering the bays and platforms.

Referring first to Fig. 1, the floor of the clearing house is divided into a number of groups or divisions A, A A each containing a number of stations 0:, a a termed bays, and each of which corresponds to a district or destination, or subdivision into which parcels are to be collected so that they may be despatched in bulk. Each group may conveniently contain 40 such bays (10 only being shown) suitably numbered-and the alternate groups of bays are surrounded by a divisional platform 6 moving at a suitable speed, say 3 miles per hour in the direction of the arrow 7) each alternate section 0 of which is provided with trucker mechanism. It will be seen that a divisional platform 6 serves all the bays (1 (F in its own division. and also half the bays {L a of the adjacent groups. The divisional platforms 7) are in turn served by the main platform (Z. which moves at twice the rate of a divisional platform, say 0 miles per hour, in the direction of the arrow b and carries truckers d and passes coi'npletely around the clearing house and in so doing runs parallel for a certain distance with the ends of each divisional platform 7). liy the above de scribed arrangement of platforms it is possible to transfer a tray by means of suitable mechanism from any divisional platform 7) to the main belt J and thence to any other divisional platform in the clearing house. Each of the bays (l is provided with despatcliing rollers and receiving. rollers f arranged as shown. and also with containers C for the parcels to be despatched, and containers C for collecting the parcels received from the platforms. The parcels to be sorted and despatched are brought to the clearing house in the containers C which may be detachable car bodies, the said con tainers being hoisted up through wells C arranged at suitable points in the clearing house floor by means of cranes, which travel above the bays and place the containers in position. The containers C when filled are lowered through the wells into the carts or wagons. This arrangement enables parcels to-be quickly and effectively dealt with in bulk. It must be understood that although we have shown only one divisional platform 7) serving a group of forty bays (7, (1 any number of divisional platforms may be employed. each serving a group containing a number of bays most suitable to the requirements of a particular clearing house, truckers being provided at any suitable points on the main and divisional platforms. The platforms 7) (7 are moved at a constant speed by any suitable means and consist of a series of sections of suitable length and width. formed of steel frames provided with a steel, gunmetal, or other suitable top plate, each section being supported upon a single track wheel running on a rail and being guided between rails by means of flanged guide wheels running horizontally. The top and bottom corners of one side of each section are pivoted between two coupling plates which act hinges, and carry the axle of the guid wheel 011 that side of the section, the guide wheel on the other side of the section being mounted between a pair of. bow springs. This coupling arrangement allows the sections, when turning corners, to swing apart at the uncoupled edges, the spring pressing the guide wheel mounted thereon in contact with the guide rail.

e will now fully describe the above constructicn with reference to the trucker shown in Figs. 2. 3. l and 5. In Fig. 2. is the steel framework of the trucker and f is the top plate. the whole being supports ed upon the track wheel keyed upon the spindle y and bearing on a rail the said rail passing around the divisional bays in the case of a divisional platform and around the clearing house in the case of the main platform. The top plate of the trucker fits closely with the top plates of each dummy section 9 as shown resting upon the beveled steel tongues with which both trucker and dummy section are provided, thus forming a platform having a smooth level surface. 71 [21 Il are the flanged guide wheels, bearing upon the guide rails l1 the guide wheel It being mounted between the bow springs 7: The guide wheels 71 It are carried upon spindles 72* mounted in the coupling plates If Z1 to which plates the brackets 71 '71 on the top and bottom corners of the trucker, and adjacent dummy sections are pivoted at 71 72 This coupling arrangement enables the sections when turning around a' corner to swing apart on one side and to take up the position shown by the dot and dash lines in Fig. '1' 2' are bevel wheels loosely mounted upon the shaft and adapted to be separately clutched thereon by means of electromagnetic clutches 90, 91 actuated when required by separate electric circuits. the said wheels gearing with a bevel wheel j secured to the underside of a cam wheel j mounted on the shaft j. The shaft j is journalcd in bearings carried in the trucker frames jj". The cam wheel is provided with a cam groove Z. of the shape shown in Fig. 5. in which groove a roller Zr carr ed on the end of a crank arm rolls. The crank arm if is mounted on the lower end of the shaft Z which is supported in l'iearings on the frame j and carries at its upper end the pinion m. gearing with the pinion m secured to the underside of the bevel wheel of. The-bevel wheel m is mounted on the shaft in jour naled in the frame i and in the bracket bolted to the top plate and gears witl: the bevel pinion a carried on the shaft 11 mounted in the end plates of the trucker.

This shaft 12 is also provided with the bevel pinion 0 0 p p and r respectively are the transfer rollers adapted to be driven in pairs in either direction according as one or other of the wheels '2', '2'" clutched on shaft g That is to say p are driven together and (7 (I are driven together, in either direction. Each roller is secured to one end of a shaft r the other end of which is rotatably secured by a joint (indicated at 7") in the bracket 7' the openings in the bracket j through which the said shafts 1 enter being of the shape shown to enable the rollers to rise slightly through slots r in the top plate for the purpose hereinafter descril ied. The shafts r 1' are also )rovided with )ini ns 1' which ear l r r:

the rollers p, p, q, q

with the piuions o 0 are each suitably wound and. electrically connected in series (not shown) with one of the electromagnetic clutches on the shaft g in such a manner that on completing the electrical circuit for one of the said clutches. the motion of the track wheel 9 is communicated through the'gear to the corresponding pair of rollers p p or g g which are thus'rotated and at the same time magnetized by the current. so that if the steel bottomed parcel tray be placed over them, the said rollers will rise slightly through the slots in the top plate 5/ and grip the bottom of the tray and drive it in the desired direction. In the case of the trucker rollers. as only one pair can be magnetized at one time it follows that only one pair will rise and work upon the tray, the other pair of rollers. although rotating are not magnetized and (mnse uently do not rise and interfere with the transfer. As shown in Fig. a each despatch and receiving pointof every station provided with one pair of transfer rollers 92, the driving gear thereof being identical with that of a trucker (see Figs. 2 to 5 with the exception that the motion of the mechanism is derived from a horizontal rotating shaft 94-, the cam whee being supported on a bracket ac. The bevel wheel 97 is secured to a sleeve 98 loosely mounted upon shaft 04. said. sleeve also carrying one half 09 of a n'iagnetic clutch containing an electromagnet 100 which receives current.v through the bars 101 (one only being shown) rings 102, "103. and leads 104, 105. The other half 10C of the clutch is secured upon the shaft 94. and contains a soft iron ring 107. It will be obvious that when the part 00- is energized it will attach itself to part 107; thus clutching wheel 97 t0 the shaft 04. The horizontal shaft 94 runs longitudinally of each bay and is'rotated by suitable means at exactly the speed of the shaft g of the trucker track wheel g so that the movem'ents of trucker and station trai-isfer mech-. anism are synchronous.

The object of the above described mechanism is to impartsuch a motion to the tray carrying the parcels, as shall transfer it from a station to a moving platform and from a moving platform to another moving platform and vice versa, in a certain definite manner Without shock. The shock is ob viated by means of the motion derived from cam Wheel j and the crank k The cam groove is in the said cam wheel is so designed that the uniform motion derived from the track Wheel g is, in one revolution of the said wheel j caused to give to the rollers 77,777, 7, (j, through the intermediate gear, an accelerated rotation, which gradually increases to a maximum and then gradually falls away until at the end of a revolution of the wheel j the rollers become stationary. This gradually accelerated motion enables the tray to pass from the rotating despatch rollers to the synchronously ro tating moving trucker rollers, without shock or concussion, as will be seen from thenfollowing description of the transfer action The transfer rollers at each bay are set at a suitable angle to the platform, one pair of the trucker rollers 72, 7), q. being set at a suitable angle corresponding with the bay transfer rollers situated upon one side of the platform, the other pair being set to correspond with the bay rollers upon thecpposite side. The motion of the tray from a position of rest at the despatch point of any bay, to its position of rest on the surface of the continually moving trucker, is performed as to the first half by means of the bay transfer mechanism and as to the second half by means of the trucker mechanism. Both these mechanisms are set in motion by the controlling mechanism at the same instant, which instant is determined by the trucker arriving at a certain definite position with regard to the despatch point of the bay. \Vhen the tray is to be transferred, from a despatch bay to a trucker, or

vice versa, the electric circuits controlling the clutches and the magnetizing circuits of the rollers of the bay and trucker transfer rollers. which have been previously cons nected by the controlling mechanism are completed by the trucker making certain electrical contacts. Immediately this occurs, the transfer mechanisms above dc? scribed are set in motion and begin to revolve the rollers of each mechanism so as to impel the tray in the proper direction, while the rollers are magnetized at the same instant. with the result that they attach themselves to the underside. of the tray and impart to it a gradually increasing motion and remain in contact with it untilit has completed one half of the total motion 'required to transfer it to the moving trucker. At this instant the edge of the tray is in a position over one part of the rollers 'of both the despatch bay and trucker mechanisms. Any further motion, of the tray causes it to recede from the rollers of the despatch bay, which-are therefore unable to further influence its motion. and from that point on ward it is moved by the rollers of the trucker mechanism. The speeds of the trucker rollers and the bay rollers are so arranged that the resultant velocity of the trucker rollers, in the direction of motion of the platform, at the instant of transfer from the bay rollers to the trucker rollers, is equal to that imparted to the tray by the bay rollers. The exact motion of the tray is composed of two motions, one, a motion in the direction in which the trucker is moving, and a motion at an acute angle to this givenby the rollers. It is obvious that if both these motions up to the point of the mid-way movement of the tray increase at uniform rates the motion of the tray up to this point will be rectilinear, so that such rectilinear motion can be impartedby rollers revolving on axles. At the point of midway motion the tray will have received a velocity in the direction of the motion of the trucker of exactly one half of the velocity of the said trucker, and from this point onward the velocity of the tray relatively to that of the trucker will be uniformly increased. The motion of the tray sidewise to the trucker must also be uniformly reduced, and consequently the motion of the tray on the trucker with regard to its final position on the said trucker will also be rectilinear, and this rectilinear motion can therefore also'be imparted by rollers revolving on axles. It follows that the actual motion in space of the tray when under the action of the trucker rollers is not rectilinear, but is a curved motion.

Figs. 6 and 7, show a suitable tray for use in this system, the said tray consisting of the steel end frames 8 secured to a smooth steel bottom plate 5 in which plate are mounted the ball bearing casters 8 which enable the tray to be easily moved over a level surface. The tray is also provided with a wooden false bottom 8 upon which the parcels are placed.

The various electrical circuits required to operate the bay and trucker transfer mechanisms are controlled by means of controllers provided at each despatching bay and carried upon each trucker. All these controllers are constructed upon the same principle, as will now be described, with reference to Figs. 8 and 9 which illustrate digrammat-i- (ally the essential parts of a controller. 25 is a shaft having loosely mounted thereon the two toothed wheels 29 t provided on their inner sides with bevel teeth gearing with the planet wheels 15 15* mounted on spindle which latter is rigidly secured to the shaft t. t are a number of disks, which we call selector disks, keyed upon the shaft t and each connected by means of suitable contact makers t with various circuits hereinafter described, the disks being so arranged tliat contacts will be made .and broken at certain predetermined points according to the angular displacement of the shaft t. A rear view of one of these disks t is shown in Fig. 9 in which the contact portions of the disk are shown by the black portion 150, current being supplied to the shaft 22 by lead 151, the contact t completing the circuit when the disk is turned into the correct position. These selector disks are in reality switches, and each controller is fitted with a certain number according to its function. It will be obvious that if one of the wheels Z t be held stationary, and the other wheel be caused to turn through one revolution, then the shaft t carrying with it the selector disks i will make half a revolution only, and also if both wheels 2? f be displaced equally in opposite directions the shaft t will remain stationary, in fact, the angular displacement of the shaft 2 is equal to half the difference between the angular displacements of the oppositely displaced wheels t F, the selector disks being correspondingly displaced. As shown in Fig. 9, each of thewheels t t is adapted to be turned a tooth at a time, but in opposite directions, by means of a pawl u pivoted at 108 upon an arm a pivoted at 109 carrying the armature a the said pawl u engaging with the outer teeth of the wheel under pressure of the spring a, and t is a stop arm pivoted at 110. When the electromagnet Q) is energized, the armature a is attracted thereby causing the pawl a to be drawn back from the wheel t and allowing the end of the pawl to rest on the stop arm or detent t". When the magnet '11 is deenergized the spring a presses the arm-u forward, causing the pawl uto press against a tooth of the wheel and so-move said wheel through one tooth space in a contraclockwise direction. The stop arm t resting in a tooth space of the wheel asshown, prevents backward motion of said wheel, and also serves as a rest upon which the pawl u may be positioned, a stops 0 being also provided to prevent the pawl from flying upward when working at high speed, a stop V being providedto limit the backward motion of the arm 10. The electromagnet 'u is preferably provided with a core formed of a bundle of iron wires. Or, the wheels may be turned by any suitable pawl and electromagnet mechanism. On energizing the electron'iagnet o by an alternating current, it follows that the armature u is attracted and released at a speed corresponding to the alternations of the current per second, and consequently the wheelst or t will be turned in opposite directions through a number of teeth depending on the length of time the circuit is made. By employing an alternating current and regulating the length of time of the Contact, we can thus turn the Wheels t t through any required number of teeth. The wheel t is called the adder ,andthe wheel 6 the subtractor or subber.

In setting the controller the adder wheel is displaced through an angle corresponding to the number of register points to be passed by the trucker before the destination is reached. by means of a suitably divided hand wheel, such as i (Fig. 9). This wheel t termed the register wheel and the angle it is turned through corresponding to the number of receiving bays to be passed, is termed the bay register.

With a. controller constructed on the above principle it will be obvious that by displacing the shaft i with its selector disks'lf through the desired angle, and then causing a series of alternating impulses to flow through the subber and adder magnets 41 causing the shaft 25 to be turned through the planet wheels, the selector disks t may be turned so that the circuits they control shall be made or broken as required after a certain predetermined number of impulses have passed through the magnets "a. If the subber and adder magnets be energized by a direct current, then one impulse only would'pass through the said magnets.

Broadly speaking, in the simplest case, when a tray is to be despatched from a despatch bay to a receiving bay on the same divisional platform, the control arrangement is as follows :-The register disk If and consequently the selector disks t of the .despatching bay controller are set with the required bay register. The oncoming empty trucker, also provided with a similar controller, makes certain contacts with the bay which energize the transfer rollers of the bay and trucker, and transfers the tray to'the trucker, while at the same time the trucker makes other contacts connecting the adder and subber wheels of both controllers and transferring to the trucker controller selectors the bay register with which the bay controller has been set. The trucker passing on makes a direct current contact called a bay register point with each receiving bay it passes, which sends a single impulse through the subber. magnet of the trucker controller and turns the selector disks, the arrangement of the said selector disk contacts being such that after the correctnumber of impulses has passed and the trucker makes contact with the proper receiving bay, the said seleetor'contacts are in position to make and break the proper bay and trucker'circuits, the current passes, energizing the trucker and bay transfer mechanism, and the tray is transferred.

To enable a my to be transferred from one bay on a divisional platform on to the main platform and then on to a bay on another divisional platform, the despatch bays and truckers are also provided with a platform controller which consists of a set of subber and adder wheels and selector disks which can be set at the despatehing point with a platform register by means of a platform register wheel such as t", in the manner above described for the bay register, to the number of divisional platforms the tray must pass before reaching the divisional platform for which it is destined. This platform register is transferred together with the tray and any bay register the divisional trucker may have, to the main trucker cont-rollers. Platform register points are provided, which as the main plat form trucker carrying the tray passes, energize the trucker platform controller subber. magnet exactly in the manner in which the bay register points energize the trucker bay controller. Thus a transfer is effected at the desired divisional platform, the bay register of the main trucker being again transferred to the divisional platform trucker controller so that as the said divsional trucker passes its bay register points the register is finally removed and the tray is delivered at the desired receiving station. The controllers are also provided with double-throw switches which are moved by suitable electromagnets energized by the trucker as it arrives at and departs from the bay at which it receives or discharges, the said switches by making and breaking certain circuits prevent truckers from communicating with bays until the bay controller is set, and also with loaded truckers on the main platform.

Referring now to Fig. 10 which is a diagrammatic plan view of the arrangement of the controllersand circuits of a despatching bay and of a divisional platform trucker, the said trucker being shown in the contact position with a bay for the purpose of receiving a tray :B represents the edge of the despatching bay and C the edge of the trucker, the motion ofthe trucker being in the direction of the arrow C. The contact strips on the side of the trucker are indicated by the numerals 1. to 12 (number 10 being excepted),'which numerals also serve to indicate the contact wipers on the bay which make contact as shown with respective strips arranged in different planes on the side 108 as shown in Fig. 5, said strips being carried on a bracket, 108 on the trucker. \Ve have found it convenient to arrange the circuits of the various bays, which are on both sides of the divisional platform, 1n such a manner'that the contact wipers of v the said circuits are all upon one side of the divisional platformonly, thus necessitating contact strips upon one side of the trucker only, but it is obvious that we may arrange the wipers upon both sides of the platform and provide contact strips upon both sides of the trucker. D is the bay cont-roller upon which the bay register is set, D is the adder wheel and w is the subber wheel thereof, 10 is the electromagnet actuating w, and 10 e0 are the selector disks; E is the platform controller on which the platform register is set, 6 is the adder Wheel, '11) is thesubber .shown) at 132.

Wheel thereof actuated by the electromagnet Q05 and w 10' are the selector disks. F a double throw switch of any suitable type, and is adapted to throw over to the left or right and close certain circuits as indicated by the dotted lines F and G, G are the electromagnets for operating the same. Switch F may conveniently be constructed as shown in Fig. 6 in which 120, 121 are the left and right contact clips to which the various circuits are connected, said clips being secured respectively to insulated bars 122, 123, carried upon a standard 124. The switch arm 125 carries contact blocks 126, 127 adapted to make contact with clips 120 121 respectively, and is pivoted to standard 124 at 126. Said arm 125 is adapted to be rocked by means of a slotted link 127 attached to the pivot 126, in which a roller 128 carried upon a hollow rod 129 works. Rod

129 is slidably mounted in a tube 130its movement being limited by a spring 131 one end of which is attached to the top of the rod, the other end being attached to the bottom of the tube 130; The outer tube 130 is pivotally mounted in a suitable support (not The tube 130 is pivotally attached at 133 to a core 134 the ends of which pass into the solenoid coils 135, 136. According as one or other of these coils is energized the core'l34 is pulled to the left or right causing the link 127 to rock arm in the well known manner. H represents the winding of the pair of magnetic transfer I I that is to say the initial position of the adder wheels and register wheel M before rollers and the electromagnetic clutch (see p p or g 9 Fig. 2.), electrically connected in series and H is a switch operated by the magnet H when it is required to close the circuit through the clutch and rollers H.

v H indicates the clutch and transfer rollers electrically connected in series, of a. bayon the opposite side of the trucker, which we have here inserted to enable the action of both pairs of trucker rollers to be demonstrated, the circuits of bays on both sides of the trucker being identical. Referring now to the trucker :T is the bay controller which receives the bay register, :0 is thev adder wheel having the actuating magnet :0 00 is the subber wheel and the actuating magnet thereof. as" 00 are the selector disks. J is the platform controller and 3 is the adder wheel and 3 the actuating magnet thereof. y is the subber wheel y? the actuating magnet thereof and 3 y y g are selector disks. K is the double throw switch,

similar to the bay switch Rand adapted to throw over into the positions K K, and

a, 2 are the operating magnets therefor. L, L each indicate the windings of one pair of transfer rollers and L L the windings of the electromagnetic clutches, electrically connected in series, so that each clutch may be used with each pair of rollers.

Instead of providing each of .the controllers D, E, with a register hand wheel i as i shown in Fig. 9, we have found it convenient to set both the controllers by means of a single hand wheelM upon which both bay and platform ,schedule numbers are marked, the sa1d wheel being secured upon the shaft M carrying pinions 2 2 By pressing the push button a, the pinion a is brought into gear with pinion 2- and thebay adder wheel 6 thus by turning wheel M to the required register the adder wheel 5 is similarly set. Again by releasing push-button 2 and depressinga similar push button .2 the pinion 2 is geared with pinion 2 and platform adder wheel 6 and by turning wheel M to the requisite platform register, the adder wheel 6 is similarly set. The wheel M is mounted upon the shaft M in such a manner that it may be slightly depressed there on and operate a circuit breaker as herein:

after described.

To despatch a tray from the bay, the tray is placed upon the rollers H and the operator presses in the wheel M in the direction of the arrow, and in so doing moves the lever 13,0ne end of which rests in agroove M in the bearing of the wheel M, which in turn moves the pivoted l'evers 13 13 and opens the circuit breaker 14. He next presses in the push buttons 2, 2 one after the other and by turning wheel M through the required angles, sets the bay and platform regislters on the controllers D and respectively. The zero position of these controllers D, E

being set with a definite register, is in each case the scheduled number of the despatching station, thus the actual displacement of the selector disks M2 w" w w is the difference between the scheduled numbers of the receiving and despatching stations and platforms respectively which equals the number of receiving points and piatforms to be passed before .the destination is reached. As long as the wheel M is depressed the contact breaker 14 is open and breaks the circuit through the selector disks w w preventing any action at the despatch bay until the registers are set. The registers having been set and wheel M liberated, the contact breaker 14 is still prevented from returning to its closed position by the catch 15-. A projection 200 on. the front of the trucker which next passes actuates a suitable contact which momentarily makes the contact N N, putting the electromagnet 0 across the poles 16, 18 of the battery through the leads 16, 18, releasing catch 15 and allowing the circuit breaker 14 to close and make the circuit through the selector disks 10 w. contact is shown in Fig. 5 and consists of a. rod 201 slidably mounted on the side wall 108 in a bracket 202 and provided on its outer end with a roller 203. Its inner end is Thisvents any correspondence with a trucker which has already passed the trigger point. The throwover switch F is at this period in the engaged position F and thus the wiper 5 is connected through leads 19, 20, 21, selector disks 10 20, contact 14, lead 16 to the positive pole of the battery. The se lector disks 10 w are so constructed that in the Zero position of their differential shaft-s,

the circuit 21 is broken; but is made immediatel y both disks are displaced, so that current cannot pass through both selector disks unless both have a register. The despatching station is now waiting the arrival of a disengagedtrucker. It must be understood that the bay wipers and trucker stripsare so arranged that all the contacts are practically simultaneous. Now, a disengaged trucker will haveits switch K in the unloaded position K and the strip 5 will.

therefore be connected by circuit 22, 23, 24, to the strip 6, which circuit includes the electromagnet 2 At the instant strips and 6 make contact with the respective bay wipers a current will pass from the positive pole 16, contact 14, 21, through disks 10 113 20. magnet (1', 1t), wiper 5, 22, 23 magnet strip ('3, to negative pole 18 of the battery and a current will flow. This currentenergerizes the bay magnet G and the trucker magnet Z causing the bay switch F to throw over to position F and the trucker switch K to theposition K". Simultaneously with the closing of these SWlttliQS the circuit including bay switch magnet 11 is closed on the battery through 16, 25, 26, 18, the magnet being energized closing the switch H which energizes the transfer gear of both bay and trucker through the circuits consisting of the positive pole (if battery 16, 27, 11,28, wiper and strip 1, 29, rollers L, clutch L strip and wiper-'4, to negative pole 18 of the battery. This circuit including bay clutch and rollers H and trucker clutch L and rollers L, the tray is transferred to the trucker in the manner already described. For a bay situated on the opposite side of the platform a similar circuit would have been energized, but through clutch and rollers ll", wiper and strip 2, trucker rollers- L,

clutch L wiper-strip 3, through a lead cor- 1 responding to battery. lead 18, (the connec- 5 tic-11s shownby dotted lines are in reality on the opposite bay). Simultaneously with the above action the bay subber magnet 10 is connected to the trucker adder magnet m through the alternating current circuit 30, selector disk 20 19, strip and wiper 5, 22, 31, 32, strip and wiper 9 to alter nator pole 33; and the platform subber magnet 105 is connected to the trucker adder magnet y through circuit 31, selector disk '11), 19, strip and wiper 5, 22, 35, wiper and strip 8, 36 to alternator. The selector disks 10 w included in these circuits are termed zero disks, that is to'say they break contact when the controllers are in the zero position, that is when there is no register thereon. Immediately the above mentioned circuits are closed, the alternating current passes [nrough the subber and adder magnets 10 m, 10 y, of the'bay and trucker controllers and the bay subber wheels to w are moved tooth by tooth synochronously with but in opposite directions to the adder wheels in y of the trucker controllers, thus reducing the bay and platform registers of the bay controllers D, E, to zero, and transferring the said registers to the trucker controllers I, J.

It follows that as soon asthe whole of the bay and platform register has been trans-- ferred to the trucker controllers the zero selector disks 11: "L0G will both break circuit, the controllers D and E being at zero. The contact strips 5 and 8 are of such a length that with the frequency of the alternating current used, the number of pulsations required to transmit the greatest possible reg ister from that particular despatch bay can.

pass during the duration of the contact.

-\Ve have obtained good results, when eme ploying an alternating current of 10 waves per second, that is to say giving 20 alternations or impulsesper second, the adder and subber magnets being provided with cores formed of bunches of soft iron wire, the apparatus being as shown in Fig. 9. The tray has now been transferred to the trucker, and the trucker controllers I, J, set to the original register with which the operator set the bay controllers D and E. The controllers D, E are now at zero and the switch I is in the position F The tail end of the trucker in passingaway, momentarily closes the contacts 111 (such as shown in Fig. 5*) and places the electromagnet G across the battery through circuit 37, 26, negative pole 18, 16 to positive pole 16, and throws.

the switch F into the engaged position F Though the controllers D, E are used again in the engaged position F no action can take place with a passing disengaged trucker, because the controllers D, E being at zero, the selector disks Q0 '00 have broken circuit, and can not make circuit again until the operator sets the next register by means of the wheel M as before described. The truckeris now clear of the despatching point. and goes on its way carrying the tray with its correct address, that is its bay and platform registers on the controllers I J. 

